Program Overview

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology DClinPsy

Overview

Become a skilled, clinical psychologist, who'll be eligible to register with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), allowing you to work effectively within the NHS and equivalent organisations.

Course Details

• Duration: 3 years (full-time), not available part-time
• Start Date: September 2026
• UK Fees: Successful applicants for this course are employed by the NHS as trainee clinical psychologists and course fees are covered by the funding body.

Research Overview

This training programme is run in collaboration with the University of Lincoln and in partnership with the clinical psychology services of three local NHS Trusts in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire.

Course Content

The programme is competency-based and conforms to the Standards for Education and Training of the Health and Care Professions Council and the accreditation criteria of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

• University-based academic teaching takes place over two semesters:
  • September to January is mostly based at the University of Lincoln (with some exceptions in the first year)
  • February to June is mostly based at the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine.
• Service-based practice learning takes place throughout the year during placements in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.
• Clinically relevant research is conducted throughout the programme, including a research project, plus a separate doctoral thesis in the middle of your third year

Core Modules

Year One

• Core Professional Skills
  • This module introduces you to the theoretical foundations and key skills that will be needed for your first clinical placement.
• Therapeutic Work with Individuals
  • This module provides you with the theoretical foundations to understand the phenomenology of problems commonly referred to clinical psychology services.
• Individual Placement - Core and Final
  • These modules span the full first year of the programme and account for one clinical placement experience.
• Research Orientation and Design
  • This module lays the foundation for the research component of the programme by introducing students to the most influential study designs used in clinical psychology.

Year Two

• Lifespan and Psychological Development
  • In this module, you will be introduced to a developmental perspective that tracks an individual across the lifespan.
• Specialist and Integrative Modalities
  • This module builds on previous skills and knowledge about working with people as a clinical psychologist and prepares you for developing specialist interests in your third year.
• Multi-Person Placement A and B
  • The focus of these modules is acquiring skills and applying clinical psychology expertise across the human life span and spectrum of diversity.
• Research Activation and Delivery
  • This module builds on the research skills developed in the first year research module (ROD) and allows you to apply those skills to real-world small-scale research.

Year Three

• Systems and Contexts 1
  • This module changes focus from the individual to the individual within a couple, family, or other small group system and introduces you to the theoretical foundations of working with larger modules.
• Systems and Contexts 2
  • This module builds on the skills and knowledge about individuals, groups, and families and competencies in an indirect intervention.
• Organisational Placement - Specialist, Core and Final
  • These modules provide you with the opportunity to develop expertise in a specialised theoretical approach or with a particular client group or in a novel setting.
• Research Analysis and Presentation
  • This module builds on the ROD module and allows you to report on data collected as a result of research plans developed in year one.

Entry Requirements

• Qualification: 1 or 2:1 (or international equivalent) in a degree in psychology conferring Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS.
• Additional Information: Due to NHS funding arrangements, the programme is not in a position to offer places to non-Home applicants without a work permit.

Funding

• Successful applicants for this programme are employed by the NHS as trainee clinical psychologists and course fees are covered by the funding body via a time-limited contract of employment at AFC Band 6 with one of three NHS Trusts:
  • Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Careers

• Careers Advice: Expert staff will work with you to explore PhD career options and apply for vacancies, develop your interview skills, and meet employers.
• Graduate Destinations: Most of our graduates take up clinical psychologist roles within the NHS, though some have gone on to work in psychology in other sectors.
• Accreditation: Our Clinical Psychology course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility to apply for BPS chartered membership. The course is also regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and confers eligibility for HCPC registration.